"The Farm does not have a heated space for folks to gather in the winter months." That sentence still opens the frequently asked questions on Lachat Town Farm's page for its education center. It was written to explain a building that did not exist yet, and the next line gives the decision behind it. Friends of Lachat looked into heating and insulating the historic Dairy Barn and concluded it "would ruin its character." The first floor of the David Godfrey farmhouse, which predates the Revolution, could only hold a small crowd. Restrooms meant porta-johns, which the page calls "unsightly and sub-optimal, especially for young children and in the evening."
Weston left the barn as it was and built a new room next to it. Most of what happens in town between Thanksgiving and mid-December now happens in that room.
A Fireplace Instead of Insulation
The building's formal name is the Daniel E. Offutt III Education Center at the Juliana Lachat Preserve. Weston Today's report on the opening described it as "a spacious gathering space with a large stone fireplace, an art studio and classroom, a demonstration kitchen, a pantry, long-needed public restrooms, and an audio-visual system." Rob Sanders was named as the architect at the opening.
Getting it built took about two and a half years. A 2021 proposal reported by Weston Today described a post-and-beam building for cooking, nature education, art-making and year-round programs, with an estimated cost of $3.5 million including contingency. The finished center is smaller than that first plan. The estate of the late Daniel E. Offutt III pledged $2 million toward construction and offered up to $1 million more to match community gifts. Weston Today reported in April 2022 that the old garage on the site had been demolished on March 14 and that construction bids had come in by the end of March. Friends of Lachat later announced it had raised the full $1 million match. The town also delivered a $100,000 ARPA contribution to Friends of Lachat so it would qualify for the Offutt trust's matching funds. At the opening, Weston Today credited ARPA money with helping push the fundraising over the line. Friends of Lachat broke ground on May 22, 2022, Weston Today reported.
| Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Building proposal and $3.5 million estimate published | March 30, 2021 |
| Old garage on the site demolished | March 14, 2022 |
| Groundbreaking | May 22, 2022 |
| Ribbon cutting and opening | September 3, 2023 |
| First Winter Market held with the center in use | December 2, 2023 |
In November 2023, Weston Today previewed that year's Lachat Winter Market as the first to use the new center, "meaning weather won't matter much." Until then, an outdoor December market on a hillside farm depended on the forecast. After that, it no longer did.
The Rules Built Into the Room
The FAQ also explains why the center hosts the kinds of events it does. The Lachat Town Farm Commission, responding to neighbors' concerns, decided not to allow private rental events anywhere on the farm, including the Offutt Center. The kitchen meets commercial standards because the Weston Westport Health District requires that for cooking classes where participants taste the food. The page says the kitchen was not designed as a catering kitchen for private parties, though it may be used for a fundraising dinner that supports the farm.
The main room was designed to do several jobs at once, so there are no separate small classrooms. The plan called for a teaching kitchen opening onto the gathering space, worktables for craft classes, smaller classes around the fireplace, and room for art exhibits and a fireside music series. A separate "messy" classroom has north-facing windows, which artists prefer, and looks out over the meadow hillside. Wreath making is on the list of uses it was planned for.
So the room is booked for public events only. Everything on this winter's calendar is open to the town, with a ticket or a registration where needed. Nothing on it is a private party.
Thanksgiving at a 75-Seat Table
The plainest use of the heated room comes on Thanksgiving Day. Lachat's Thanksgiving Community Feast runs from noon to 3 p.m. on November 26 in the Offutt Center. It is for anyone who would otherwise spend the holiday alone, and families are included. The listing promises it will be "cozy and warm with a fire glowing in our fireplace."
The details:
- The farm provides turkey, sides and dessert. Guests are asked to bring apple cider or a bottle of wine to share.
- AMG Catering prepares the meal, with sponsorship from the Family of Brian Gordon and the Howard & Katherine Aibel Foundation.
- Registration is $25 per person, and children under 12 eat free.
- The registration deadline is Friday, November 20, the day after this post goes up. Register online or by phone at 203-984-8403.
- The table seats 75 at most.
- If cost or transportation is a barrier, the listing asks people to contact Weston Social Services.
Before 2023, a sit-down Thanksgiving dinner for 75 people at Lachat would have needed a heated room and indoor restrooms. The farm had neither.
December Is Already Filling
The next two events are already full. The 4th Annual Winter Greens Wreath Decorating Event on December 4 is set "by the fire in the Offutt Center." Doors open at 6 p.m. for the Jingle Bar, and decorating starts at 6:30. Tickets are $85, or $75 for seniors. A ticket covers the wreath, greenery, decorations and a charcuterie board from Lachat's own Traci Baker. Drinks are sold separately. The event is for adults only, and a full table for five costs $425. As of this week, every ticket type shows a waitlist. This is the fourth year of the event, and the Offutt Center opened in 2023, so the wreath night has run every year the room has been open. Proceeds support Lachat's Giving Garden, the Pollinator Garden, the Pulling Together invasive-plant workshops and other land-stewardship programs.
The December 8 gift-wrap class with Christy Gibb also has a waitlist. It teaches block printing for wrapping paper and gift tags, and each participant makes four to five sheets and eight to ten tags. For younger makers, the farm lists a "Handcrafted Holiday Gifts" program for grades 2 through 5 on December 1.
The waitlists come from the building's size. The room holds one big table, a fireplace and a set number of workspaces.
When the Room Fills, the Town Has Other Rooms
Several of Weston's older gathering places run on the same weeks.
- Thursday, November 19, 1 to 4 p.m. The Weston History & Culture Center holds an open house in the Coley Barn with farm and mill tools, looms and hands-on activities. The barn dates from the same farming past that Lachat's Dairy Barn was kept unheated to protect.
- Monday, November 23, 7 to 9 p.m. The town calendar lists a Wreath Decorating Party at Norfield Grange, 12 Goodhill Road. This is a second wreath night for anyone on the Lachat waitlist.
- Thursday, December 3. The annual Holiday Music Festival and Tree Lighting takes place on the Town Green in front of Town Hall at 56 Norfield Road.
The Market That Stopped Watching the Forecast
The season ends at the farm with the Lachat Winter Market on Sunday, December 13, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Local vendors will sell art, clothing, jewelry, housewares, baked goods and other locally made food, along with hot food to eat at the farm or take home. The Barn Bar will serve holiday cocktails, wine and hot cocoa all day. No parking reservation is needed. Drivers should enter at the main entrance, 106 Godfrey Road West, and park on the lower field. Spaces are first come, first served, and staff will send cars to overflow parking if the lot fills.
This is the fourth Winter Market since the center opened. Before 2023, every one of them depended on the weather.
If you own a Weston property with a barn, a carriage house or an older outbuilding and are deciding what to keep, what to restore and what to build next to it, Lachat's choice is a useful example. When you want to think through how that history affects your home's value, Susan Vanech Properties is glad to help. Request a confidential valuation.
